your gold and silver have corroded, and that
corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a
fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days.

4

Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers
who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters
have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

5

You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure;
you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.

6

You have condemned; you have murdered the
righteous one; he offers you no resistance. 2

7

3 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the
coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the
earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 4

8

You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.

9

Do not complain, brothers, about one another,
that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.

10

Take as an example of hardship and patience,
brothers, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11

Indeed we call blessed those who have
persevered. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and you have seen the
purpose of the Lord, because "the Lord is compassionate and
merciful."

12

But above all, my brothers, do not swear,
either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your
"Yes" mean "Yes" and your "No" mean
"No," that you may not incur condemnation. 5

13

Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray.
Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise.

14

Is anyone among you sick? 6
He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him
and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord,

15

and the prayer of faith will save the sick
person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will
be forgiven. 7

16

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and
pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous
person is very powerful.

17

Elijah was a human being like us; yet he prayed
earnestly that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not
rain upon the land.

18

Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and
the earth produced its fruit.

19

My brothers, if anyone among you should stray
from the truth and someone bring him back,

20

he should know that whoever brings back a
sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a
multitude of sins. 8

1 [1-6] Continuing with the theme of
the transitory character of life on earth, the author points out the impending
ruin of the godless. He denounces the unjust rich, whose victims cry to heaven
for judgment on their exploiters (⇒ James 5:4-6). The
decay and corrosion of the costly garments and metals, which symbolize wealth,
prove them worthless and portend the destruction of their possessors
(⇒ James 5:2-3).

2 [6] The author does not have in
mind any specific crime in his readers' communities but rather echoes the Old
Testament theme of the harsh oppression of the righteous poor (see
⇒ Proverb 1:11; ⇒ Wisdom
2:10, ⇒ 12,
⇒ 20).

3 [7-11] Those oppressed by the
unjust rich are reminded of the need for patience, both in bearing the
sufferings of human life (⇒ James 5:9) and in their
expectation of the coming of the Lord. It is then that they will receive their
reward (⇒ James 5:7-8,
⇒ 10-11; cf ⇒ Hebrews
10:25; ⇒ 1 John 2:18).

4 [7] The early and the late rains:
an expression related to the agricultural season in ancient Palestine (see
⇒ Deut 11:14; ⇒ Jeremiah
5:24; ⇒ Joel 2:23).

5 [12] This is the threat of
condemnation for the abuse of swearing oaths (cf ⇒ Matthew
5:33-37). By heaven or by earth: these words were substitutes for the
original form of an oath, to circumvent its binding force and to avoid
pronouncing the holy name of God (see ⇒ Exodus
22:10).

6 [14] In case of sickness a
Christian should ask for the presbyters of the church, i.e., those who have
authority in the church (cf ⇒ Acts 15:2, ⇒ 22-23;
⇒ 1 Tim 5:17; ⇒ Titus
1:5). They are to pray over the person and anoint with oil; oil was
used for medicinal purposes in the ancient world (see ⇒ Isaiah 1:6;
⇒ Luke 10:34). In ⇒ Mark
6:13, the Twelve anoint the sick with oil on their missionary
journey. In the name of the Lord: by the power of Jesus Christ.

7 [15] The results of the prayer and
anointing are physical health and forgiveness of sins. The Roman Catholic
Church (Council of Trent, Session 14) declared that this anointing of the sick
is a sacrament "instituted by Christ and promulgated by blessed James the
apostle."

8 [20] When a Christian is
instrumental in the conversion of a sinner, the result is forgiveness of sins
and a reinstatement of the sinner to the life of grace.